Through much of the past century, the moniker “Catalina” has been applied by various manufacturers and Madison Avenue types to a variety of consumer products.
Among other things, the name bestowed upon the Island by explorer Sebastian Vizcaino in 1602 has popped up over the years as the name of a popular Pontiac in the 1950s, a line of swimwear, a very popular line of sailboats and even a variety of salad dressing.
Through much of the past century, the moniker “Catalina” has been applied by various manufacturers and Madison Avenue types to a variety of consumer products.
Among other things, the name bestowed upon the Island by explorer Sebastian Vizcaino in 1602 has popped up over the years as the name of a popular Pontiac in the 1950s, a line of swimwear, a very popular line of sailboats and even a variety of salad dressing.
But of all the various products named “Catalina” over the years, arguably the most endearing and enduring for many Catalina Islanders is the PBY Catalina amphibious seaplane.
Manufactured between 1937 and 1945, this venerable representative of American aviation served with every branch of the U.S. military and played a significant role in civilian use as well, becoming one of the most iconic seaplanes in history. The plane also found itself becoming a central player in some of the most influential battles of World War II.
Although Catalina Island had little to do with the actual development of the plane (it was designed and built by Consolidated Aircraft in San Diego), the fact that it was named after the Island is good enough for us.
The naming of the plane, in fact, was something of a fluke and makes for an interesting story.
During the early years of World War II, before the plane was officially named, a number of pilots from Britain’s Royal Air Force were taking a test flight in one of the planes off the coast of Southern California.
At one point, one of the pilots asked what the name was of that beautiful island down below. That island was, of course, Catalina and the name stuck.
Powered by two radial Pratt & Whitney engines, the PBY was not exactly known for its speed, nor was it a particularly elegant aircraft from a design standpoint. However, the PBY distinguished itself during the Second World War as a reliable “work horse” and the life of many a downed airman or merchant seaman was saved by these “angels of the airways.”
Like most seaplanes, the origins of the PBY lie in the first of the 20th century when such aircraft were necessary simply because of the fact that there were very few graded or paved landing facilities around the world.
Being a seaplane, the U.S. Navy naturally had the greatest interest in developing a long-range aircraft that was capable of not only rescue operations, but that could take on an offensive attack mode as well.
As such, the PBY was no stranger to danger on the front lines and the aircraft was involved in many notable events during the war.
In 1941, it was a Royal Air Force PBY that first spotted the German battleship Bismarck. The plane alerted Royal Navy ships in the area that had lost track of her and the dreaded ship was ultimately sunk.
In 1942, it was a U.S. Navy PBY crew that first sighted the Japanese fleet approaching Midway Island, giving U.S. forces the heads up they needed to launch an attack.
The resulting “Battle of Midway” resulted in the loss or damage of four Japanese aircraft carriers, numerous support ships and dozens of fighter aircraft. It was the Battle of Midway, in fact, that is largely considered the turning point of the war in the Pacific.
The PBY actually played a limited civilian role on Catalina during the post-war years. From 1947 through ’48, California Maritime Airlines used the plane in regularly scheduled service to the Island. Although the plane was ideal for handling the often rough waters around Catalina, the fact that it was a fuel guzzler and required a crew of five meant it was economically unfeasible for such a role.
Some Islanders may remember the last PBY to regularly visit Catalina.
Tail number N322FA was a bright red specimen which had been modified for firefighting. In fact, it was during a water pick up run in 1997 at San Vicente Reservoir in Southern California that the plane crashed, fortunately with no fatalities.
On a tragic note, it was in a PBY Catalina in which Philippe Cousteau was killed during a high speed taxi run near the Tagus River in Portugal.
Today, more than 50 of the original 4,000-plus PBYs still survive, mostly as static displays in museums around the world.
Jim Watson is the author of “Mysterious Island: Catalina,” available on Amazon, Kindle and in stores all over Avalon.
